The original post: /r/television by /u/RotaVitae on 2026-04-17 13:42:30+00:00.
Xena began as a villain in a trilogy on her parent show, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. She was a merciless warlord who made the choice to reform and helped Hercules fight back against the henchman who betrayed her. Xena was intended to die at the end, but fan popularity changed that, and she received her own series from 1995-2001. She travels ancient Greece with her partner, Gabrielle, fighting human and godly evils out of guilt for her past actions.
I’m looking for examples of women heroines with their own series pre-dating Xena, since I’ve only seen men characters. Relevant points are:
Main character in a TV series. She could be the new lead in a completely new series, or spun off from an earlier series, but she’s now the main. TV please, not film, comics, games, etc. Live action or cartoon TV is fine.
Conscious villainy. Out of rage, revenge, whatever, she must have committed her evil acts willingly, and innocent people suffered. She wasn’t brainwashed or otherwise coerced to fight for evil, and then freed when a spell was broken or she found out the truth of her coercion. If she began as a victim, she doesn’t use it to deny accountability for her crimes.
Guilt. She’s now a fighter for justice because in her mind, it balances the suffering she caused. Others may forgive her for her past, but she finds self-forgiveness difficult or impossible. Instead, her guilt fuels her to do good in the present.
I’ve found a couple examples in comics, such as Catwoman from Batman, but not in TV series before Xena.
The closest I found is She-Ra: Princess of Power, spun off of Masters of the Universe. But She-Ra was an unconscious pawn of evil to harm innocents, and magically brainwashed, before she was liberated by He-Man.
Are there others? I believe Xena may have set a unique precedent for TV women.
PS please join us in r/xena if you love the show or are interested!